We are and will always be the flagship.
The Idaho State Board of Education voted to remove the word “flagship” from our mission statement Feb. 16. Along with many University of Idaho students, faculty, staff, friends, parents and alumni, I am extremely disappointed in the board’s decision and believe it should be reversed.
A mission statement defines what an organization is and explains its purpose. Since UI was created in1889 as the first higher-education institution in Idaho, we were deemed the flagship university. Flagship has many meanings, including leader. Our purpose is to lead the state in research and education. With more than $100 million in research expenditures, UI does more than 70 percent of the research in Idaho. We have the highest graduation rates of any of Idaho’s higher-education institutions (nearly twice that of other public institutions), the most National Merit Scholars enrolled, and our students complete more than 150,000 hours of community service annually. Other institutions in Idaho should look to us as the leader in higher education simply because we are the leader in higher education.
As a student, I am particularly disheartened by the SBOE’s lack of leadership. Its members, like others in the state, should be proud of UI and its accomplishments. The vote Thursday was one of many examples that show the board is swayed more by politics than facts. In the future, the SBOE should stop wasting time and taxpayer dollars debating mission statements, and instead consider real issues that affect all of Idaho’s students.
I invite you to join me and more than 2,000 others in challenging the SBOE’s decision by signing our petition at change.org.
Vandals know UI remains Idaho’s flagship institution, despite the SBOE’s politically charged message last week. We are and will continue to be the undisputed leader for higher education in the state of Idaho.
– See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Feb/22/ui_deserves_status.html#sthash.A43tz1P8.dpuf
The Idaho State Board of Education voted to remove the word “flagship” from our mission statement Feb. 16. Along with many University of Idaho students, faculty, staff, friends, parents and alumni, I am extremely disappointed in the board’s decision and believe it should be reversed.
A mission statement defines what an organization is and explains its purpose. Since UI was created in1889 as the first higher-education institution in Idaho, we were deemed the flagship university. Flagship has many meanings, including leader. Our purpose is to lead the state in research and education. With more than $100 million in research expenditures, UI does more than 70 percent of the research in Idaho. We have the highest graduation rates of any of Idaho’s higher-education institutions (nearly twice that of other public institutions), the most National Merit Scholars enrolled, and our students complete more than 150,000 hours of community service annually. Other institutions in Idaho should look to us as the leader in higher education simply because we are the leader in higher education.
As a student, I am particularly disheartened by the SBOE’s lack of leadership. Its members, like others in the state, should be proud of UI and its accomplishments. The vote Thursday was one of many examples that show the board is swayed more by politics than facts. In the future, the SBOE should stop wasting time and taxpayer dollars debating mission statements, and instead consider real issues that affect all of Idaho’s students.
I invite you to join me and more than 2,000 others in challenging the SBOE’s decision by signing our petition at change.org.
Vandals know UI remains Idaho’s flagship institution, despite the SBOE’s politically charged message last week. We are and will continue to be the undisputed leader for higher education in the state of Idaho.
– See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Feb/22/ui_deserves_status.html#sthash.A43tz1P8.dpuf